File picture of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim

Jan. 20: Tourists apprehensive of the mighty mountains can now step on hilly terrain equipped with life insurance cover.

In a boost to tourism, a tour operator in the city is offering the facility as part of a package to Sikkim. This is the first time that such a scheme has been launched by a private tour operator.

Chandan Baruah, an MBA graduate who formed the Moksha group a year ago, said the package, Explore Sikkim, will include an insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and its 20 per cent in case of injury.

?The six-day Sikkim tour with transport, food and accommodation will cost Rs 3,990. The amount charged is not much considering the insurance cover. It doesn?t leave enough margin for us, but we have nevertheless decided to go ahead with the project to woo tourists,? he said.

Baruah said one of the objectives of the package is to remove apprehension among tourists on visiting certain places in the region. He said several tourists are apprehensive of visiting hilly terrain as they fear that they might meet with an accident or fall sick considering the peculiar weather.

Anil Gajmer, executive director of Bharat Bhraman ? an enterprise under the government of Sikkim which has joined Moksha in its new venture, claimed that though insurance cover is nothing new in case of overseas tour packages, it is being introduced for the first time for a domestic one.

Baruah said the Sikkim package was an experiment and depending on its success, similar packages to other destinations in the Northeast would be introduced.

Jahnabi Phukan, owner of Jungle Travels ? a leading tour operator of the region, said it was a positive development that tour operators were coming up with new packages to woo tourists. She said all packages to tourist destinations in the Northeast should aim at ensuring smooth trips at minimum risk to remove misconceptions about the region.

Another tour operator said packages for places such as Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh should also offer insurance cover.

?I have met tourists who do not want to return to Tawang after they have been there once because of the dizzy heights,? he said. Reports of buses plunging into gorges are also unnerving for prospective visitors.

Baruah?s offer came after a high-level meeting on tourism last year.